coven

American  

[kuhv-uhn, koh-vuhn] / ˈkʌv ən, ˈkoʊ vən /

noun

1. an assembly of witches, especially a group of thirteen.

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coven British  

/ ˈkʌvən /

noun

1. a meeting of witches

2. a company of 13 witches

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Etymology

Origin of coven

1500–10 for sense “assembly”; 1655–65 for current sense; variant of obsolete covent assembly, religious group, convent

Explanation

A group of witches is called a coven. In books, a coven of witches often gather at night to make potions and cast spells. The mythology of witches has them meeting under cover of night, often in mysterious groups of 13. Although there are only three of them, the "weird sisters" in Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" could be considered a coven. To people who follow the contemporary religion called Wicca, a coven is a gathering, no different from a congregation in Christianity. The word coven arose in the mid-1600s, ultimately from the Latin root conventus, "assembly."

Example Sentences

In 1994, Tori Amos’ U.S. video for her piano anthem “Cornflake Girl” presents a coven of quarreling young women driven through the desert in the back of a pickup truck.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

"The Witches is about that discovery that actually these benign looking women turn out to be this coven of witches, so that is embodied in the hotel," Mr O'Brien says.

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2025

It’s like being close to the planet and also feeling part of a coven, just having your peeps around you that lift you up and make you feel that you can be completely yourself.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025

The success of "goth gremlin witch" Bambie Thug at last year's Eurovision has conjured a veritable coven of imitators in 2025.

From BBC • May 9, 2025

Even though Bianca forgave him, they went their separate ways and she chose to go back with her coven.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega